


A Dragon's Tears

by LastCorsair



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:01:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26293831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LastCorsair/pseuds/LastCorsair
Summary: After her mother's death, Yang finds comfort in the family she never knew.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Ruby Rose
Kudos: 17





	1. Chapter 1

Blake was sitting in her bed reading when her phone rang. She set the book down with a wistful sigh. It looked like she was going to finish her ritual re-read of the _Ninjas of Love_ series with at least a week to spare before the next book came out. Having her girlfriend suddenly go out of town for the last two weeks of summer vacation had definitely helped with the re-read, if not Blake's mood.

Speaking of girlfriends… "Hey, you," she answered the phone, a goofy grin spreading wide on her face. "How'd court go this morning?"

"About like anybody with two brain cells to rub together knew it would," Ruby answered. "The judge took one look at Yang's uncle's lawyer, and said, 'Your client may have a legal right to petition for custody, but only a fool would grant it to him, and I am not that fool. Mister Branwen isn't even here today; at this moment, he's still in prison. And his niece's father happens to be standing right there. Petition denied.' And _bam_ went his gavel."

"Think you'll hear from him again?" Blake asked as she flopped back on her bed.

"Probably. Yang says he's probably after her mother's money. Figures we'll give him some of it to go away. Joke's on him; it's all being held in trust until Yang's twenty-five. Raven's lawyer did allow us to draw on it for all the legal fees, plane tickets, and stuff." Ruby's voice trailed off wearily, then came back excited. "Hey! Yang's got a motorcycle. She gave me a ride on it before we had to get it packed up for shipping. Maybe she'll give you a ride, too."

"Maybe."

"What's wrong? You sound kinda down, Blake." Without skipping a beat, Ruby's voice slid into her best shoulder-to-lean-on tone. "Come on, tell me."

"My mom's been on me about, well, plans for after high school." Blake sighed, twisting a stray lock of hair around a finger. "She doesn't want me staying here. I've been hearing non-stop for the last month about the virtues of her alma mater, the University of Kuo Kuana. There was even a college yearbook involved." She shuddered in mock horror, forgetting that Ruby couldn't see her.

"Blake..." Ruby's voice was sad. "You don't have to stay here, just to be with me. I'll graduate in a couple of years. We can, I dunno, just try the long-distance thing for a while."

Blake sat up, swinging her legs over the side of her bed as she checked to make sure her bedroom door was firmly shut. "I'm not staying here just because of you. I don't even remember Menagerie, not really. We moved here when I was, what, eight? Nine? I grew up here, Vale is home to me."

"Alright. I just… I'd feel really bad if you stayed here just for me."

"I know." A warmth spread up Blake's cheeks. It was things like that that made Ruby so special. "Blatant change of topic: How's your new sister holding up? What's she like?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure what to think about her yet. She's been really moody. One minute she's bright and sunny, and the next, she's angry and yelling at everyone. Her and dad got into a yelling match last night, her screaming at him for being gone her whole life."

"She's had a rough couple of weeks, Ruby. First the accident, and then she finds out that the father she was told abandoned the two of them never knew she even existed. It's going to take time."

"Yeah." The pain in Ruby's voice made Blake just want to hold her until the universe went away. "Yang seems pretty nice when she's not crying or yelling. All dad and I can do is be there for her, you know?"

"Count me in. I'm part of the team too." Blake's eyes caught the framed picture on her dresser, reminding her of someone else. "And probably Weiss too. Have you heard from her?"

"Just a few text messages. Her dad's had her on double-lockdown all summer, worse than usual. She'll be at school Monday morning, assuming he doesn't pull bullshit like he did last year."

"Right." The memory made Blake scowl. Last year Weiss' father had pulled some legal shenanigans to keep her in Atlas almost a month past the end of his official visitation time. The white-haired girl had expressed how pissed she was about it at length and volume. Blake couldn't help but wonder how he'd managed to get his summer visitation this year.

"Blake? I, uh, I haven't told Yang about us, but I think I probably oughta. It'd help avoid awkward situations. Can I?"

Now Blake flopped back on her bed again. "I don't know, Ruby."

And there it was, the Goliath in the room of her and Ruby's relationship. It had started with her and Ruby just getting closer and closer, spending more and more time together. It had taken Weiss asking how long they'd been dating before Ruby and Blake had realized they practically were a couple. Ruby had been okay with them getting together, but Blake had been more hesitant. Losing her best friend trying to make their friendship something more? That would have been unimaginable. But they'd tried, and she was glad they had.

Now the problem was letting other people know. Weiss knew, obviously. Ruby's dad had learned by accident, catching the two of them making out on the couch. Blake's parents? Hopefully oblivious. A couple of others knew.

Right. Time to take the bull by the horns. If they were going to stay together after Blake graduated, letting a few more people know would make things easier. "Okay, tell your sister. And, um, I'll work on telling my parents. They already know you, so shifting you over from best friend to girlfriend should be easy, right?"

"Great!" Blake could practically hear Ruby's smile. "I'll let you know how it goes here."

"Blake?" Her mother's voice came up the stairs. "You have a visitor."

Blake said a painfully hasty goodbye and stood up, checking herself in the mirror before heading downstairs. "Who is it, mom?" she asked, right before she caught sight of the figure standing in the entryway.

Adam. "Shit," slipped from between Blake's lips before she could stop herself. "What are you doing here? Haven't you done enough damage?"

"Blake, please-" Kali started to say, but Blake wasn't having any of it.

"No, you don't get it, mother! He was going around school, telling everyone that we were planning on getting married, that he was going away for a year while I stayed in school so he could earn money for us to move back to Menagerie together. And, oh, let's not forget the assault charge! He dislocated my fucking arm! Get the hell out of here, Adam!" Blake yelled, pointing at the door.

Kali winced at the verbal assault, but before she could speak, Adam said, "She's not wrong, Mrs. Belladonna. And… I'm not here to bother you, not really, Blake." He took a deep breath, a look of concentration on his face. "Part of my court-ordered counseling and rehabilitation is making amends for what I've done. So I came here to say I'm sorry for what I've done to you. I just wanted to take care of you and make you happy, but I took it too far. I was… obsessed with you. I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused you, and I'm not going to bother you anymore."

Blake started to turn and go back upstairs, not wanting to talk to him anymore, but the look on her mother's face stopped her. _Be nice,_ it said. She took a deep breath. "Adam… I'm glad you're trying to make amends, but I don't know when or if I'll ever be ready to forgive you. I'm, I'm dating someone else now."

He nodded. "That's good news. I hope he makes you happy."

"She does," Blake answered, a wistful smile spreading across her face.

After Adam had left, Blake turned to glare at her mother. "What were you thinking, mother? Did you forget what he did? How he hurt me?"

"I just… He said he just wanted to talk to you for a moment, to apologize for everything. And that's all he said, wasn't it?" Kali smiled. "He wasn't too bad, at least in the beginning, wasn't he?"

Blake didn't even respond. She just stormed up the stairs and slammed her bedroom door shut behind her.

Outside, on the sidewalk, Adam stood looking at the Belladonnas' home. _You will be mine again, Blake. No matter what it takes._

* * *

"Ready to go?"

Yang jumped at the unfamiliar voice. She'd been staring out at her backyard, remembering her thirteenth birthday party of all things. "Yeah, I guess. It's just..."

"It's okay," the man she was still learning to think of as her father said as he gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "You've been through a lot, this past couple of weeks." Taiyang's other hand pointed toward the backyard. "Is it my imagination or do I see a treehouse in that tree over there?"

"Damn right you do," Yang answered, slapping her hand on the windowsill with a laugh. "I wanted to build one forever, but mom kept saying no. So one time when she was going out of town on business for a week, I hatched a plan. As soon as she was on the plane, my friends and I got to work. By the time that college girl she had 'watching' me caught on, it was half-finished. We even got Vernal's dad to help us out with power tools. Boy was he ever mad when he found out we didn't have permission."

Her father laughed. "So how'd it get finished? More subterfuge?"

"I raided the kitchen for snacks and drinks, then climbed up there and refused to come down until she let me finish it. Mom told my babysitter to just let me sit up there until I gave up. She didn't plan on my friends sneaking me more supplies." She laughed. "Three days later, mom gave up and let us finish, although she did insist on some modifications to our original design. For safety. I kissed my first boy up there, you know."

Taiyang frowned at her in mock anger. "Do I need to have a talk with this young man?"

"Nope, we broke up a long time ago."

"I'm sorry I wasn't here for that."

Yang couldn't help but search his eyes for any sign he wasn't sincere, but all she could see was concern for a daughter he'd never known and determination to be here for her now. "Not your fault. Mom lied to me, told me you'd abandoned us. I never… I never questioned that."

"I'm here now. And more specifically, I'm here now to tell you that it's time for us to leave for the airport." Her father glanced at the white box that was the only thing left on her dresser. "Want me to get that?"

"Nah, I've got it." Yang scooped the box up in her left arm, then started for the door. "I still don't see why I can't stay here. I've got friends whose parents can look after me."

Taiyang just shook his head as he shut the door softly behind them. "There are laws against that sort of thing. 'Parental abandonment,' they call it. Plus your uncle can use that to get legal custody of you, and control of your mother's money. That's your legacy, Yang. Mister Watts is going to look after the house for you, and we can always come back to visit."

"I don't care about the house, I don't want to come back to visit, I WANT MY MOTHER BACK!" For what had to be the millionth time since the accident that had claimed her mother's life, Yang swung out with her right arm, fist aimed straight at her father's smug face. Or at least she tried to. Instead, he sidestepped and she overbalanced herself, the stump of her right arm waving vaguely toward him before she went tumbling down the stairs. Sitting up, she blew her bangs out of her face. Then she started looking around frantically. "Mom? Where's mom?"

"She's right here." Taiyang bent down and picked up the box holding Raven's ashes from the top step, peering inside. "No damage to the urn and the lid's still on it. You okay?"

"Other than making an idiot of myself for the zillionth time, I'm just fine." Yang struggled to her feet. "I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize." Taiyang handed her the box with a wink. "I don't think we need to mention this to Ruby, either. Even if she's only known you a couple of weeks, as far as she's concerned, you've been her big sister her whole life. Ruby's really worried about you."

Sister. That was something else to get used to. Yang had been an only child her whole life, always envying her friends who had brothers and sisters. Now there was this person calling her 'sis' and trying to be her friend. She blew a stray lock of hair out of her face, scowling as it defiantly settled back where it had been. At least this time she didn't reach with a hand that wasn't there anymore to brush it away. "You know what really weirds me about this?" Yang asked, looking for a change of subject as she stepped through the front door her father held wide. "My name. I mean, mom took off, maybe without even knowing she was pregnant. Why'd did she give me your name? And not just your last name, either. My first name's even a variation on yours. So what the hell? Dad," she added, as much to make Tiayang happy as to remind herself.

"That I don't know, Yang. Probably the only person that knew was your mother."

That made Yang stop in the middle of the sidewalk. "Dad… it's okay for you to call her by name."

"I…" Her father stopped, not looking at her. "I'm not ready for that, Yang. I don't know why she never told me about you, why she hid you from me. And I guess I never will. So I need time."

"Yeah." Yang drew a deep breath, looking over at where Ruby was leaning up against the car Tiayang had rented, tapping away at her phone again. Her new little sister was freaking obsessed with the damn thing. "I guess… I guess we've got a lifetime to get to know each other. Better get started." Summoning up every ounce of cheer she could muster, Yang put a smile on her face and sauntered over to the car. "Sorry to keep you waiting. Just had to say goodbye to the house."

Arthur Watts, her mother's lawyer, nodded. "I can understand how it can be difficult to say goodbye to somewhere that holds so many memories. Rest assured, the house will be waiting for you until you decide to return. Miss Yang, I don't think I've said this before but…your mother was one of my clients that it was a pleasure to do business with. I will miss her."

Yang nodded, then tapped Ruby's foot with hers. "Hey, Ruby, look up. Time to go."

Ruby blushed and put away her phone. "Sorry."

"No worries. I did kinda take my time, saying goodbye to my house."

As they drove away from the house, Yang looked over at Ruby. Sure enough, Ruby was tapping away at her phone again. "Whatcha doing, sis? You've been glued to that thing all morning," she said quietly.

"I, uh..." Ruby glanced at their dad, concentrating as he drove the car through the unfamiliar streets. No better opening than this. "I was texting my girlfriend."

"I gotcha. You two missing each other pretty bad? I saw you calling somebody a lot."

"Yeah." Even in the darkness of the car's interior, Yang could see the blush spreading across Ruby's cheeks. Damn, her sister was adorable when she blushed. She made a note to try teasing her sister about her girlfriend. Not too much; best to start off small. "The thing is," Ruby continued, "she's not out, not to everyone, just a few people. So, keep it to yourself, okay?"

"Got it." Yang couldn't help but wince at the thought that Ruby wouldn't have told her yet if she thought she could avoid it. "So who's in the know? So I don't let it slip in front of somebody I shouldn't."

"Dad, our friends Weiss, Sun, and Neptune. That, that's pretty much it." Ruby laughed. "Oh, Sun's Blake's ex-boyfriend, but he and Neptune are kinda dating now. Except they won't admit it, so don't make a deal of it if you notice, okay?"

"Must be kinda weird, your girlfriend's ex keeping a secret like that for you."

"Sun is like the most relaxed guy ever. I mean, when he caught me and Blake kissing, all he did was tell me how lucky I was." Ruby's face fell, and she glanced at Taiyang again before leaning toward Yang. "Listen, yesterday Blake got a visit from her other ex, and it shook her up pretty bad. He's, he's kinda stalker psycho. So, um, dad asked me to look after you until school starts, but is it okay if I take off for a bit when we get home? Just for a little while?"

"No problem. Bring her to the house if you want, I don't mind. And hey, if the psycho needs his ass kicked, I'm your girl." Yang tried to smack her hands together, only to end up staring down at her left hand. "At least I was."

"Eh, don't worry about it. You've got an appointment with the prosthetics guy right after we get back, right? Pretty sure he'll fix you up in no time. I mean, they already fitted the cap on your, um, whatever, right? That's halfway there, and the rest is just fabrication."

"Yeah." Yang turned away, staring out the window. As she watched the city she'd grown up in go past for what might be the last time, her mind wandered back to the last time she'd spoken with her mother.

* * *

" _Mrs. Branwen, I must advise against this. You're both severely injured."_

" _First, it's Miss Branwen, I'm not married. And second, I don't care. Now piss off, I want to talk to my daughter in private."_

_After the doctor had left, Raven's eyes focused as best they could on Yang's face. "Yang, are you there? I know they've got us both on some pretty heavy painkillers, but I need to talk to you."_

" _Mom..." Yang fought through the fog, meeting her mother's eyes. "I'm… kinda here. I… I want a hug, but the doctor says I have to lay down. He's worried about, um. I can't remember."_

" _I know." Raven reached out and took Yang's remaining hand, her arm stretching from her gurney to Yang's. "Listen, this is going to be hard, but I'm going to be honest with you. In a couple of minutes, they're going to wheel me into surgery. I was hurt pretty bad, bad enough they're amazed I'm conscious."_

_Yang laughed, wincing when it made her head hurt. "They said the same thing about me. Guess I get my stubborn streak from you."_

_"Right." Raven sighed. "The truth is… I might not survive the surgery."_

" _Mom-!"_

" _I know. I love you too, Yang, and I'm wishing with all my heart that I make it through this. But if I don't, I've left instructions with Mister Watts. Do you remember him, my lawyer? Just do what he says, okay? Please, for me."_

" _Okay. But I'm not going have to because you're going to get through this just fine." Yang fought back the tears. Her mother hated it when Yang cried, and she was damned if she was going to let her mother down now._

" _Yang." Raven ran her hand down her daughter's cheek. "It's okay to cry, sometimes. And always remember how much I love you."_

" _I love you too, mom."_

_After they wheeled her mother away, Yang broke down crying, sobbing softly until sleep overtook her._


	2. Chapter 2

Ghira sighed. Normally when everyone managed to be home for dinner, it was a lively affair, full of conversation and laughter. Tonight was not one of those nights, not that he'd expected it to be after Adam's visit. Unlike his wife, Ghira harbored no illusions about how bad things had gotten between him and Blake. Kali had been out of town when Adam had Blake had their last fight. She hadn't been there in the emergency room as the doctor cleaned Blake up, seen the scrapes and bruises fresh and raw. No, Kali had been spared that. At the time, Ghira had considered that a blessing. Now he was less than sure.

What troubled him was that Kali and Blake were both picking at the food on their plate like it was three-day-old roadkill instead of the poached salmon he'd fixed. "Is something wrong with the food? You're both so down tonight."

Now it was Kali's turn to sigh. She set her fork down next to her plate and picked up her wine. Ghira had picked one of her favorites for tonight, another touch he'd expected to lighten the mood. "I'm sorry, Ghira, it's just… it's nothing."

"Adam showing himself is hardly 'nothing,' Kali."

Kali shook her head. "Just something that Blake said, while he was here. It was probably a slip of the tongue, I shouldn't let it bother me so much."

"What was it?" Blake took a bite of her salmon and chewed thoughtfully. Her father didn't have as much time to cook as he would have liked, and she knew he'd fixed this tonight in an attempt to dispel the gloom left after Adam's visit.

"When..." Kali took a bigger gulp of her wine than she meant to. She cleared her throat and started over. "When Adam said that he hoped he hoped that the person you were dating now made you happy, you said _she_ did."

"I..." Blake's throat was suddenly dry, the taste of salmon on her tongue that had been so delicious a moment ago turned to bitter ash. "I've been trying to figure out how to tell you…"

"So you're….?" Kali's voice trailed off, leaving the question unfinished.

"Right now, I've got a girlfriend." Her daughter took a deep breath. "And I've had boyfriends, too. Adam, Adam was wonderful, before he went too far. Sun was fun, for a while. But right now, I have a girlfriend." Blake turned to look out the dining room window, seeking wisdom in the growing dusk. "I… I think I like both. But it's more about the person than, well," she gestured at herself. "I don't know how to say it."

"More about their heart and soul than flesh and bone," Ghira added quietly. Blake just nodded, still staring out the window, not daring to look at mother.

"Blake…" Kali's voice was uncertain. "I'm sorry. I know I've been pushing you to find someone new, but I didn't mean to-"

"It's not about you!" Blake turned to look at her mother, amber eyes meeting ones so similar to her own that they could almost be twins instead of mother and daughter. "You didn't do this. It's just me. This is part of who I am. When I met her, I was still getting over Adam. And then there was Sun, and that ended, and then she and I got closer, and..." She broke off, not sure how to continue without giving away Ruby's name.

An uncomfortable silence settled into the room, worse than it had been before. Finally, it was Kali that spoke. "I… won't pretend I understand, at least not yet. But I promise I'll try because you're my daughter."

"And I think," Ghira rumbled, "that meeting this girlfriend of yours might give me and your mother some peace of mind, Blake. Would she be willing to have dinner with us? Preferably soon."

"Probably." She couldn't remember how many times Ruby had been over for dinner, even before they started dating. "But it won't be for a while. She's got, um, some personal stuff going on right now."

"She's not dragging you into drama, is she, Blake?" Her mother's voice was steadier now.

"No, it's… family stuff, complicated, but not her fault. She just needs some time to sort things out."

Ghira nodded. "Well, I can understand needing to focus on her family, but I'd appreciate it if we were introduced sooner rather than later. Speaking of family, how's Ruby? How, um, how's that thing with her half-sister going?

"Great, it's going great," Blake stammered, grateful for the not-quite change of topic. "The legal stuff's sorted out, and she should be back tomorrow."

"I thought she was supposed to be back last week. What was the hangup?" Kali asked, recovering her composure and sipping her wine.

Blake shook her head. "Yang's uncle decided to file for custody. The judge denied the petition, mostly because he was in prison."

"That poor girl. Losing her mother and an arm, plus finding out her mother lied ed whole life." Kali looked at Ghira, who just nodded back, knowing what his wife was thinking. "Bring her over after she's had a day or two to settle in. Ruby and Tai are practically family, after all."

 _In more ways than you know._ "Sure, mom."

[break]

_Yang was staring at the city outside her hospital room window, lifelessly watching Mistral City arrayed in the valley below her and up the mountainsides. She never could understand why the capital of Mistral was jammed hodgepodge into a valley like this. Sure, it must have been a trade nexus or a naturally defensible position in ancient times, but hadn't somebody's brain kicked in over the centuries and said: "Hey, we're outgrowing this valley, maybe we need to put the capitol somewhere there's a bit more room?" Just goes to show, stupidity never went away._

_The soft sound of the door being opened and she turned to look who it was with a heavy sigh. She was expecting a nurse checking on her or a well-wisher of some sort showing their sorrow at what had happened to her and her mother, but instead, her mother's lawyer, Arthur Watts stood there, hands behind his back as always. Yang had asked him about the habit, years ago, and he'd answered that his mother had made him do it to stop him from fidgeting with his hands, or at least do it somewhere she didn't have to see it._

_Watts cleared his throat, making his bushy mustache twitch."Miss Yang, you have a visitor. Your father has arrived, and would like to speak with you."_

" _What do I want to do with a deadbeat dad who jumped ship on my mother as soon as she told him she was pregnant?" Yang scoffed, looking back out the window._

" _He tells a very different story. According to your father, your mother went home to visit family in Mistral, for which he paid, and he never heard from her again. She never even told him she was pregnant."_

" _That's bullshit"! Yang yelled, looking around for something to throw at Watts. "Why would she lie like that to me, my whole life?"_

" _I don't know." A blonde man stood behind Watts now. He was smiling, but it seemed like he was forcing the smile past the sadness she could see in his kind eyes. "I, I looked for Raven, for a while, but I never found her. The best I could do was her brother, and he, well, he asked for more money than I had at the time."_

_Yang laughed. "That sounds like Qrow. He probably owed somebody money and smelled it on you. Bet you anything you care to name he had no idea where we were." She looked her father over. Wore a suit comfortably, but stood like somebody who could handle themselves in a fight. "So what's your name? Not calling you 'Dad,' not yet, got it?"_

" _My name's Taiyang Xiao Long." A flash of movement at the edge of the doorway drew Yang's attention, and Taiyang laughed. "And that was probably your half-sister, Ruby Rose. Her mother asked to give her name to Ruby."_

_Yang's mouth gaped wide. "You are fucking shitting me! Mom fucking named me after you, lied to me about you my whole fucking life, never even tried to find you, let you know about me? What kind of person does that? Fuck, I thought she loved me!" she yelled, pounding her remaining fist down on the hospital bed._

_Tai shook his head, walking over and hesitantly taking his new daughter's hand. "I don't know why Raven did what she did, and I don't think we'll ever know. I'm sorrier than you can ever know that I wasn't there for you as you grew up, but I'm here now, and Ruby and I, we're going to help you get through this._

" _We're your family now, okay?_

* * *

"We're home."

Yang shook herself from the semi-doze she'd slipped into as the aircar settled softly to the ground. Looking out the window, she saw lots of woods and… "I thought you were some sort of whiz-bang architect. Designed big fancy houses and that kind of thing. Six-figure salary."

Taiyang laughed. "Yep, that's me. A lot of the biggest projects in Vale over the last ten years have my name on them somewhere."

"Then why…?" Yang pointed at the two-story cabin that was the only building in sight. "So why do you live in a dinky little cabin in the middle of nowhere?" She'd given her dad a little credit for being as well-off as he claimed when she saw the aircar, but now she had doubts. Maybe the car was what he spent his money on?

"It's bigger than it looks. Come on, we'll give you the tour," Ruby said with a welcoming grin.

What she saw inside took Yang's breath away. Huge timbers supported a vaulted ceiling that went up both floors, making it kind of like stepping into a cathedral carved from the heart of a single titanic tree. A mercifully unlit rough stone fireplace dominated one side of the room, with couches and chairs set on what looked like a luxuriously thick Vacuan-style rug. An archway showed a modest dining room with enormous glass windows, and a wooden stairway with a cast-iron banister led to the upper floor. "Okay, I hereby take back the dinky little cabin comment. And I guess the aircar makes a little more sense now."

"Yeah, dad used to have over an hour commute to work, and I went to school here in Patch. Now it's twenty minutes by air, and I go to school in Vale. I think you'll like Beacon, it's a great school." Ruby's phone started playing a snazzy saxophone beat, and she pulled it out. "I, uh, I'll take this outside."

Yang shook her head as her sister stepped out on the deck, wincing as she put the phone to her ear. "I'm guessing it's probably Blake that called?"

"Yup," Taiyang answered, stifling a laugh as Ruby first glanced at her father and sister watching, then, with an air of resignation, reached under one of the planters. When Ruby came up empty-handed and looked at him in exasperation, he lost it. "She really should have done better hiding her cigarettes. Come on, I'll show you to your room."

Outside, Ruby scowled at his back as her father led her sister upstairs. "Could have left me one, you know. And those were good ones too."

"What?" Blake's not-quite-panicked voice came over her phone.

"Looks like my dad found my smokes and tossed them. Rude."

Blake chuckled, making Ruby smile a little. "Can you blame him?"

"Kinda hard, since I wouldn't have you if I hadn't needed one, would I?"

They shared a laugh at the memory. Blake had been safely hidden in one of Beacon's most infamous smoking spots when she'd heard a voice ask, "Hey, can I bum one of those? I'm out?" She'd looked up to find a girl with red-tipped black hair chewing her lip and looking at Blake piteously.

"But what do we do?" Blake asked, worry in her voice. "Dad's not passing judgment yet, but mom, well, I'm pretty sure she's hoping this is just a phase I'm going through on my way to a nice husband and a horde of grandchildren for her to spoil. I messed up, Ruby. I'm sorry."

"Ugh," Ruby replied sympathetically. She wasn't against kids in principle, and maybe not to her and Blake having kids of their own, one way or another, but she didn't want to think about that right this second. A click from Blake's end drew her attention. "Are you smoking while we're talking? You are, aren't you? That's mean."

"Blame me? Mom, Mom's been watching my every move this morning. I'm hiding in the boathouse, it's the only way I could lose her."

"No. Louse." Ruby drummed her fingers on the railing, thinking furiously. "Okay, we need a plan. I've got to stay here for a few hours to get Yang settled in, but I'll talk to her and dad about when I can do dinner with your folks to 'introduce' me. Dad's talking about doing a welcoming party for Yang so we'll have to do it before then. Think you can handle lockdown for a day or two?"

"If I have to," Blake said, sighing in resignation. "One wrong word, just one wrong word, Ruby." A familiar voice called out in the background, but Ruby couldn't make out the words. "Damn, mom's calling. I gotta go."

"Bye." With a heavy sigh, Ruby put her phone away and headed upstairs to find out where her dad was setting up her sister. "Sorry, Blake was in a panic," she said when she found them in what had been a guest room and she guessed was now Yang's room.

Yang whistled when she saw the distress on her sister's face. "Yeah, that doesn't look like hot date face," she said, setting the urn with Raven's ashes next to the mirror on her dresser.

"Yeah, totally not. Blake slipped up and outed herself when her psycho ex dropped by. Her mom caught the slip so it was Valish inquisition time last night at dinner. And we were already on the plane here so she couldn't call." Ruby slumped against the doorframe, running her hand through her hair. "So yeah, that's a thing. I kinda want to be open about everything, but at the same time, Blake wasn't ready, her mom's stalking her, trying to figure out who her girlfriend is, her dad's wanting her girlfriend to come to dinner probably so they can growl at me, and I'm really worried about her, and I could really, really use a cigarette," she whined, looking piteously at her father.

Tai just laughed. "Nice try, but I'm not going to buy you cigarettes, Ruby. But I'll offer a compromise. After we've gotten Yang settled in, and maybe gone shopping so she can pick up some stuff to start making this her room, you can head over to Blake's for dinner so you can sort that mess out. Sound good?"

"I"m good with the shopping and decorating part," Yang said as she looked around the room. The decor was as bland and soulless as the IRS. "A couple of posters and a different bedspread at least. Rest of it can wait till my stuff from home arrives."

Taiyang winced, unseen by his older daughter. "So, a few hours at the mall, lunch at Oum's Cafe—our favorite place to eat, Yang, you'll love it—and then back here so Ruby can get ready to head to Blake's. Actually," he made a show of sniffing himself, "let's all get cleaned up first, then hit the mall. I'm still a bit whiffy from the flight."

* * *

Weiss was texting as she walked, a bad habit but she was so glad to be _home_ that she really couldn't be bothered to look where she was going. She'd found out a long time ago that if you were sufficiently angry, most people just got out of your way. Welcome home messages from Blake and Ruby, plus an invitation to meet Ruby's new sister today if she was free for lunch, what the hell was that about? New sister? A request for clarification resulted in a picture of an empty chair and the words, "It's a long story." Fine, let Ruby play her games. Ruby was one of Weiss' best friends, even if she could be childish sometimes. Admittedly, Ruby was two years younger than her, but Weiss sometimes found herself wondering what Blake saw in Ruby. A lot of the time, to be honest. Ruby was so, so enthusiastic about life, about everything that honestly, sometimes it was exhausting trying to keep up with her.

Okay, Weiss was in a foul mood, and she needed to calm down and not snarl at everyone around her before-

_Whump._

Weiss found herself sitting on her ass, looking up at a blonde girl about her age, with a bundle of posters in one hand. "You okay?" the blonde asked.

"I'm fine," Weiss snapped, looking around for her phone.

Rolling her eyes, the other woman gestured toward Weiss with the stump where her right arm should be, then tucked the posters under it and held out her left hand. "Sorry, I only lost the arm a couple of weeks ago, still not used to it."

"Two weeks? And you still haven't gotten a prosthetic? Maybe you should be saving up for that instead of buying posters!" Ignoring the blonde's hand, Weiss snatched up her phone and stood, glaring at the blonde. "And watch where you're going!" Weiss stomped off without a backward glance.

Before she went to meet Ruby, Weiss stopped in a restroom, massaging her temples and applying the meditative techniques her therapist had taught her. Yes, her father was an utter bastard who still insisted on treating her like a possession or prize to be handed out to whoever he deemed worthy, but that wasn't Ruby's fault, or the blonde woman's, or the flight attendant on the flight home, or any of the other people she'd no doubt brushed the wrong way today.

When she'd calmed down enough, Weiss let herself laugh. Not the polite little laugh her father expected her to display during parties, but the genuine wholehearted laugh she'd learned from the friends she'd made after her and her mother had moved to Vale in the wake of the divorce. Oooh, she wished she could have seen her father's face last night. According to the terms of the custody agreement, Weiss' visit with her father had been over Thursday. But the bastard had decided to throw her a 'farewell party' last night.

A party Weiss had deliberately missed. She'd made sure her things were packed Thursday night, so all she had to do Friday morning was wait until late afternoon, call the cab to take her to the airport, and board the plane with the plane ticket she'd bought with her own money. She'd bribed one of the security people to stick with her father all afternoon, so they'd be sure to capture the moment her father learned she was gone. The video she'd gotten had been worth every lien. That would teach him to make all his security people wear sunglasses with cameras in them.

Her mother hadn't even batted an eyelash when she walked in the front door this morning, just welcomed Weiss home and told her that her father was threatening legal action over Weiss' actions. Weiss had simply noted that her father should have consulted the guest of honor before planning a party.

Maybe she should have stayed home longer to calm down before coming to the mall, but Weiss had wanted to surround herself with, well, normal people, after being surrounded for months by people who worked for her father and reported her every movement. Escaping despite her father's wishes that she remain had taken weeks of planning, favors, a few outright bribes on top of what she'd paid that one security guard (his hatred of the cameras in the glasses had been key). Weiss sighed in relief, then laughed again. Now she felt more herself. Then she tapped out a message to Ruby. _Yes, I will be there. And I expect a full explanation._

Stepping through the front door of Oum's Cafe, Weiss' pale blue eyes scanned the room, searching for Ruby and her father. Ah, there they were, but who was the blonde woman sitting with her back to the door? There was something vaguely familiar about her. Weiss waved off the girl at the podium, explaining that she'd just spotted her party.

"Weiss!" Ruby exclaimed when Weiss got close. "Come meet my new sister, Yang! You're gonna love her!'

The blonde woman turned to see who Ruby was talking to, and the recognition was mutual and instantaneous as lilac eyes met pale blue. "Oh great, it's you," the blonde woman said. "So where you been, getting a refund from your charm school?"

"I-" Weiss stopped herself, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry for my behavior earlier. I've spent the summer visiting my father, and that puts me in a foul mood that lasts for a while after I come home. I assume you're this sister Ruby's mentioned in her rather cryptic texts?"

"You two run into each other in the mall?" Taiyang asked, looking back and forth as Weiss took a seat.

"More like she ran into me and ended up on her butt. She was kinda rude about it too," Yang replied, flexing the hand resting on the table.

"Easy, Yang. Weiss isn't kidding when she says her dad pisses her off." Ruby gave Yang an encouraging smile. "She's got to spend her summers with him, and he spends the whole time trying to turn her into being what he wants her to be."

"Namely a marriageable piece of leverage in increasing his fortune," Weiss said with a \sigh as a server set a cup of coffee in front of her. "The boys he keeps throwing at me were particularly bold this year; I think word got out that this is the last summer I'll be forced to spend with him."

"Any breakage?" Tai asked, smiling. Last year Weiss shoved one guy into a pool. From a second-story balcony. He'd mistaken her needing to be alone for a moment for a chance to make a play.

Weiss nodded glumly. "Sadly, yes, and worse than last year. I got cornered coming back from the ladies' room at a party in my father's own house. This one dared to grab me and put a hand up my skirt. So I beat the crap out of him. Thankfully, the trial didn't take long or I might still be enduring my father's hospitality."

"You? Beat the crap out of a guy?" Yang looked Weiss up and down, taking in her frame and how she carried herself. "That I'd have to see to believe."

"Weiss was captain of the school martial arts team last year," Ruby replied with a laugh. "As well as being student council president, and being top of her class at, well, everything."

"Not much time for a social life, it sounds like."

"I… keep myself busy," Weiss said, rubbing the scar under her eye before clearing her throat. "So, since I don't remember hearing about Ruby having a sister before, I assume there's a story here?"

"You're not kidding. See…" Taiyang began.

* * *

" _I think you'll find the new look of the food court very open and inviting. Have a look at the virtual model and let me know if you have any concerns." Taiyang smiled at the people from the Salem Group, giving them what Ruby called his 'million-dollar smile.' Well, this time the contract wasn't worth a million dollars to the architecture firm he worked, for, but it wasn't chump change either, and his bonus from it was likely to be pretty good._

_Cinder Fall leaned forward, changing the perspective on the main screen. "It does look like you've managed to take care of almost everything on our original list. But you're sure about this arch? There's not anything we can do?"_

_Taiyang shook his head. "Not without a significant amount of work, I'm afraid. It was kind of smart how he used it to bear part the load for the roof over the main shopping area, but unfortunately, that means that removing it would take major structural work."_

" _What a pity. It doesn't quite fit with the new look we were hoping for, but I think you've done as well as can be expected. Now-"_

_A knock at the conference room door interrupted Cinder's words. "Mister Xiao Long, you've got a phone call. There's been an accident."_

_An accident? Ruby! Without a word, Taiyang bolted out the door and into his office, leaving Mister Ozpin standing there, frowning at him. He'd pay for that later, but hopefully, Ozpin would be understanding. "H-Hello? What's happened to Ruby?" Taiyang stammered into the phone._

" _Mister Xiao Long? My name is Arthur Watts, and I've been trying to reach you all day. Nothing has happened to anyone named Ruby, as far as I know."_

_He frowned. "I was told there's been an accident."_

" _There was, but this Ruby was not involved." The voice on the other end sighed. "I will begin at the beginning. I represent a woman named Raven Branwen, I believe you were acquainted with her some time ago."_

" _Oh yeah." Taiyang sat down in his chair, a wistful smile on his face. "Boy do I remember Raven. But what's she got to do with an accident?" Goodwitch opened his office door and started to speak, but Taiyang held up a finger, focusing on Watts' words._

" _Miss Branwen was in a car accident last night. She was severely injured and did not survive surgery. I'm sorry."_

" _Right, but where do I come into this? Did she leave me something in her will? A bit fast to be contacting her heirs, isn't it?"_

" _In a sense. Miss Branwen had a daughter, who was also injured in the crash." Watts paused for a moment before continuing. "Mister Xiao Long, I must inform you that you are named as the father of Miss Branwen's daughter, and as her legal guardian."_

" _You're telling me I have a daughter I never knew about? And she's been in an accident?" Taiyang collapsed back in his chair, staring up at his ceiling. "Raven, Raven never told me. What, what's her name?"_

_"Your daughter's name is Yang Xiao Long."_

_He blinked. "Raven even named her after me, but never told me about her? Mister Watts, let me give you my cell number. I'll be on a plane as soon as I can, Um, where is she?"_

_After he hung up, Taiyang looked at Goodwitch, who had sat down in front of his desk, a concerned look on his face. "I need to take some emergency time off, I have-"_

" _I heard. Or at least I believe I have a firm grasp of the situation." Goodwitch tilted her head toward the conference room. "Go. I will explain to Miss Fall that you have a family emergency and will be unavailable for some time."_

_Taiyang nodded and headed for the elevator, his cell phone in hand. "Ruby, head home and start packing. You're not going to believe this..."_

* * *

"...and so the judge says that he'd have to be an idiot to give Yang's uncle custody since he's in prison and Dad's standing right there, so no sale," Ruby finished, one of her hands slapping down on the table with a laugh.

Weiss shook her head, giving Yang a sympathetic look. "I suppose the thing to say is, ''I'm sorry for your loss,' but that always sounds so hollow, doesn't it? It must be hard, to lose a parent like that. But at least you got to say goodbye. If you need help, don't be afraid to ask. Let me give you my number." Weiss pulled out her phone, hitting the button to send her contact info to Yang.

"Oh! Let me give you Blake's!" Ruby said, pulling out her phone. "And Sun, and Neptune and-"

"Easy there, kiddo. Let's not overload her. Yang can make her own friends, you don't need to drown her in yours." Taiyang looked at his watch. "But we do need to get home pretty soon. You've got to get ready."

* * *

The creak of the floorboards under Ghira's feet made Kali jump, and she scolded herself for what felt like the thousandth time that day. She'd been on pins and needles ever since Blake had calmly walked into the den where she and Ghira had been enjoying a game of chess and announced that her girlfriend was going to try to make it to dinner tonight, but no promises. Kali frowned and looked closely at the knitting she'd been working on, trying to calm her nerves and keep herself from fidgeting. Sadly, it looked like she was going to have to undo the last three stitches. "How can you be so calm?" she hissed at her husband. "Blake kept this girl a secret, there must be something wrong with her!"

Ghira just shrugged a little as he settled down with his woodworking magazine. "I'm calm because she's calm. Look at Blake, sitting there reading her book as if she doesn't have a care in the world. If Blake was nervous, then I'd worry more."

Her husband's words made Kali look at their daughter. Blake was curled up in her favorite chair, one of those dreadful novels she loved so much in her hands, without an apparent care in the world. The only sign she was nervous at all was the occasional glance at her phone sitting on the arm of the chair, and she didn't even pick it up. Maybe Ghira was right, and this everything was going to be okay.

The doorbell rang, and instead of rushing to the door, Kali said, "Blake, do you mind getting that?" Blake just nodded and headed for the front door, returning a couple of nervous minutes later with someone Kali hadn't expected to see today in tow.

"Hey, Mrs. B., how's it going?" Ruby asked, waving at them.

"We're fine, but I didn't expect to see you today since you were just getting back with your sister. We were expecting..." Kali trailed off, not sure what to say next.

Blake and Ruby looked at each other and smiled before Blake said, "So... what do you think?"

Ghira got it first and laughed. "I don't believe it, you managed to hide it right in front of us!"

Kali blinked in confusion. "Ghira, what-" Then she saw how close Blake and Ruby were standing to each other, and Blake's hand hesitantly moving toward Ruby's. "Oh. Well, this is., um, well this is a surprise, that's what this is."

Her daughter took a deep breath, the feline ears on top of her head twitching. "It's my fault we kept this a secret. I just, I just wasn't ready to let everyone know. Sorry for being afraid, Ruby."

"You weren't afraid," Ruby said, popping up on her toes for a moment to kiss Blake on the cheek. "You just needed more time, and I'm okay with that. Was, was that too much?" she asked, her cheeks flushing.

"I think it was just right," Blake said, laughing as she tore her eyes away from Ruby to look at her parents. Her dad was giving the two of them a dubious smile, but her mother looked less convinced. "Come on, Ruby. Dad's planning on grilling tonight, and he's had the steaks marinating for hours."

Ruby's eyes lit up. "What are we waiting for? Go, go, go!" she shouted, bouncing away from Blake towards Ghira and pushing him toward the deck. Ghira just laughed and went along with it.

Things at dinner were… a little strained, to say the least. Kali wasn't saying much, just watching Blake and Ruby. She noticed they'd scooted their chairs closer together than normal, and just when had that started? She pondered that point as she sipped her wine. It had been about Midwinter's Eve that something had changed between Blake and Ruby. Before they'd been very affectionate, always laughing and playing around with each other. But after that, things shifted. They kept a certain distance from each other, closer than most people got, but rarely touching. And they were more careful about what they said. Kali could remember more than a few awkward pauses in conversation when Blake or Ruby would either trail off or stop dead in the middle of a sentence. Now that awkward gap between them was gone, and in its place was… affection, something more natural than she'd seen between Blake and Adam, or even Sun. Kali found that she couldn't help but smile as Ruby was telling a story about her new sister, Yang.

"-and then Yang says, 'Lady, if I still had both arms, I'd give you the finger twice!" Blake laughed, making Kali laugh herself. Then Kali gestured at her wineglass.

"Ruby, sometimes on special occasions we let Blake have a glass of wine with us at dinner. I think this is one of those occasions, don't you?"

"I..." Ruby trailed off, looking at Blake, who gave a small nod as if to say, _It's up to you._ "I could text my dad and ask, I guess?" Kali nodded, and Ruby tapped out a quick message, then showed Kali her message and the reply. _Mrs. B has asked if I'd like a glass of wine with dinner. May I?_ Taiyang's response was brief and to the point: _One, and don't get caught._

After dinner, they sat around, relaxing and talking, though the other unstated purpose was making sure Ruby was sober enough that there wouldn't be a problem if they got stopped when Blake drove her home. Something went _click_ in Kali's brain, and she frowned at Blake. "So, I'm guessing the reason you want to go to college in Vale is because of Ruby?"

Blake just shook her head. "Not entirely. We moved here when I was, what, eight? I barely remember Menagerie, it's just scattered images to me, all fuzzy and out of focus. Vale is where I think of when someone says the word 'home.' That includes Ruby, too," she added, putting an arm around Ruby's shoulders and pulling her close.

"And what about you, young lady," Kali said, yellow eyes fixing Ruby in place. "Have you started thinking about college?"

"A little," Ruby admitted, squirming until Blake poked her in the ribs. "I'm kinda interested in mechanical engineering, or maybe electrical engineering. I mean, I've always been fascinated with gears and wires and stuff." Blake nodded. She'd seen pictures of some of the things Ruby had built growing up, including the working trebuchet she'd 'laid siege' to her elementary school with.

When Blake got back from driving Ruby home, her mother was still waiting up in the den. "Blake, I… I'll admit I didn't take it well when you said you had a girlfriend. And I'm still not completely at ease with this. But… knowing Ruby like we do, that makes me more at ease than I was."

"Just, just give us a chance, mom, okay? I need you to be okay with this," Blake said quietly, her eyes pleading with her mother.

"I…" Kali paused, searching for the right words. "I'm okay enough with this to give you two a chance. That's, that's as much as I can say, for now."

Blake nodded. That was enough, for now.


End file.
